POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / Social Security

This provocative short book is a valuable introduction to social security in Britain and the potential for its reform.

The principle of service user involvement in decisions that affect them directly is now generally supported, but many voluntary organisations remain under scrutiny because of slow implementation. This report explores the processes of change in eleven voluntary organisations to draw out lessons relevant to the wider sector.

This ground-breaking book analyses the living standards of nearly 80 million children in the EU. It considers whether the well-being of children is becoming more similar across member states or if the countries are diverging while their economies converge. It provides a wealth of evidence not previously drawn together in a single source.

Social Policy Review is an annual selection of commissioned articles focusing on developments and debates in social policy. Social Policy Review 13 reviews a varied and interesting selection of social policy developments in Britain and internationally, and sets current policy developments in a broader context of key trends and debates.

This updated edition, written by social policy and welfare experts, shows how the mixed economy of welfare links with the important conceptual and policy debates.

Over the last three decades Britain has witnessed an unprecedented rise in the number of people receiving welfare benefits that has provoked fears of a growing underclass and mass welfare dependency. This book provides the first comprehensive analysis of the reasons for this growth and subjects notions of welfare dependency to empirical test.

Although state provision may have dominated in Britain since 1945, there is a growing movement towards welfare pluralism - a mixed economy of welfare - involving private, voluntary and informal sectors. This book, written by social policy and welfare experts, sheds light on this neglected area of social policy.

In this timely book, the author, with his life-long experience of international social security, advocates reinstating social insurance by reducing the volume of income redistribution, increasing the transparency of money flows and improving citizen information.

This book maps out the contours of the European 'social investment' strategy, both at the ideational level and in terms of the policies implemented throughout Europe. It will appeal to both social policy scholars and policy experts.

This book makes an original contribution to current debates around welfare reform through a qualitative investigation of the opinions and experiences of welfare users. Competing philosophical, political and academic perspectives on citizenship and welfare are also analysed and discussed, making this book important reading for students and teachers.

Social Policy Review is an annual selection of commissioned articles focusing on developments and debates in social policy. Social Policy Review 14 reviews a varied and interesting selection of social policy developments in Britain and internationally, and sets current policy developments in a broader context of key trends and debates.